The Sacred Space Between Letting Go and What’s Next

Hi Reader,

As we move deeper into autumn, I’m noticing how this season invites us to loosen our grip and trust what needs to fall away. In one of the community groups I’m part of, we recently discerned that it was time to let go of a long-cherished part of our shared life. It had served us well for many years — but its season had passed. Even though it was a tender decision, we could sense it was right.

Now we’re in that in-between moment — the space after release but before the new has taken shape. It feels a little empty, a little open, and strangely hopeful. We can’t fully see what’s next yet, but we have this quiet sense that something new is on the horizon… something we’ll only be able to imagine once the old has fully cleared out.

There is a moment after letting go when the space feels empty—
​and yet that emptiness is how the new begins to arrive.​
We don’t rush to fill the space.
​We allow it to become a doorway.

If you find yourself in your own in-between season, I hope this month’s reflection brings comfort and clarity.

What Happens After Letting Go — Learning to Respond Within the Spaciousness

Letting go is often talked about as an ending. But just like autumn prepares the ground for winter’s deep wisdom and spring’s renewal, the act of release creates something essential: space.

For many of us, that space can feel unsettling. When a job ends, a role shifts, a dream falls away, or a long-held commitment completes its purpose, we’re left with a kind of quiet openness. Our instinct is to rush toward the next plan, the next certainty, the next thing to hold onto.

But discernment invites a different posture.

The space after release is not a void to be filled.
It is a sacred clearing where new vision is born.

This is where responsive action comes in. In Your Crossroads Compass, I teach that discernment isn’t passive — it’s active, but in a gentler, more soul-aligned way. Instead of forcing clarity, we learn to respond to what’s emerging in real time.

Rather than seeing discernment as a linear path, we see it as a spiral — a rhythm we return to again and again:

The Discernment Spiral

🌬️ Release Let go of what has completed its season—even if it’s familiar or beloved.

🌙 Receive Allow the space to exist. Rest in the unknown. Pay attention to subtle stirrings.

🔥 Respond Take the smallest next aligned step—one that honors what you’re noticing.

🔄 Repeat Each response reveals something new to release, receive, or act upon.

This is movement.
This is progress.
This is how clarity arrives—one responsive step at a time.

And sometimes, the most aligned response really is rest. Or waiting. Or simply staying present to what is shifting within you.

If you’re in a moment of openness — after releasing a job, a responsibility, a plan, or even an old way of being — trust that this space is not the end of the story. It’s the place where the next chapter begins to take shape.

📚 RESOURCE ROUNDUP

Here are a few supportive resources for this month’s theme of release, receptivity, and responsive movement:

📖 Book:

John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us​
A beautiful companion for times when life asks us to stand in the threshold between what has ended and what is not yet visible.

🎧 Podcast:

The Next Right Thing with Emily P. Freeman​
Look for an episode on pausing, waiting, or taking the next small step. Emily’s gentle approach pairs perfectly with the idea of responsive action.

✍️ Journaling Prompt:

“What am I being invited to release—and what new possibility is beginning to whisper in the space that follows?”​
​

🌞 UPCOMING OFFERINGS

🌀 Returning to Center: A Kinder, Gentler Start to the New Year​
​In-Person: Saturday, January 10, 2026 | Online: Sunday, January 11, 2026

If the usual hoopla of resolutions, big dreams, and high-pressure goals feels a bit too overwhelming, I invite you to join me for a kinder, gentler approach to beginning the new year. For what's become an annual tradition, we will gather for this half-day retreat and walk through a reflective and spacious process for starting the new year centered and grounded.

Learn more and register with the links below:

🧭 Your Crossroads Compass (Free Guide)

If you haven’t downloaded your free guide yet, it will walk you through the essential steps of reconnecting with inner wisdom, naming what you truly want, and taking responsive steps toward what’s next. A perfect companion for this season.

🌅 Free Consult – Your Next Chapter

For mid-to-late career professionals sensing something new on the horizon — but needing clarity, confidence, or direction. If you’re navigating the space between letting go and stepping into what’s next, let's have a conversation.

💛 PRACTICE OF THE MONTH - The Spiral Check-In

As you move through the month, try this gentle three-part check-in once a week—or even once a day:

• Release: What is loosening its grip?
• Receive: What space is opening, and what do you notice within it?
• Respond: What is the smallest aligned step I can take?
  ​(Remember: rest counts as a step.)

Wherever you find yourself on the spiral of release, receptivity, and response, may you feel supported, guided, and held by what is quietly unfolding.

Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful and peaceful Thanksgiving.

Blessings,

Lisa

Lisa Beacham
Coach | Spiritual Director | Workshop Leader

​www.lisabeacham.com​

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